Install Kodi on Roku – Jailbreak Guide 2017

Roku is one of the most popular Smart TV devices in the US. It comes built into a lot of smart TVs and doesn’t require too much of resources to run. That is probably the reason a lot of Smart TVs are not as expensive as their Android TV counterparts. Kodi, on the other hand, is an open source program using which you can watch almost any type of content for free. What if you could install Kodi on Roku? Today I will show you how to get Kodi on Roku TV and Roku Stick. A lot of people say it is impossible to Install Kodi on Roku. Let’s see if that is true or not.

Unlike services like Netflix, Hulu or Plex, which work in a Client-Server connection. Kodi operates in an entirely different fashion. Kodi is just as a media player but on steroids. You can get various add-ons, and with these add-ons, you can watch any Movie, TV Show, Documentary, Live TV Channel or anything you like.

Can you install Kodi on Roku?

This question seems to be the million dollars question for almost everyone who has Roku TV and knows the power of Kodi. There is no guide on the internet for the installation of Kodi on Roku, and that is the reason why this question exists in the first place. To cut a long story short for you, there is no way of installing Kodi on Roku. Reason for that is because Roku is a Closed-Source platform, unlike Kodi. But don’t leave yet.

Let me show you how you can get Kodi on Roku using your Android phone, iPhone, Computer and lastly I will show you a service better than Kodi for Roku.

Get Kodi on Roku using Android phone

If you own an Android phone, then you can use a method called Screen mirroring to stream your Android phone’s Screen to your Roku TV. This includes everything that is showing on your Android phone mirroring to your TV. The way it works is very simple. All you have to do is Check if your Roku TV supports Screen Mirroring, Enable it, Install Kodi on your Android phone and start mirroring. Let me show you step by step how to do it.

First of all, you will need to check if your Roku TV even supports screen mirroring or not. That is because Screen Mirroring is a feature that was added to Roku in the later versions. Turn ON your Roku TV and open Settings and navigate to “System Update.” Here you have to check if there is any new update available for your Roku TV. If there is an update available, make sure to install it before proceeding.

You will need Roku Software version 5.6 or later for it to work. Screen Mirroring option is added to Roku in the version 5.6. After you have made sure that your Roku version is up to date, go back to Settings, navigate to System and find the Screen Mirroring option. Select it and Enable screen mirroring.

Now you will need to connect your Android phone to the same Wi-Fi network to which your Roku TV is connected.

After that, go to Settings > Display, and here you will need to select “Cast” option. Now press the menu button and check “Enable Wireless display” option. This will enable the screen mirroring and soon after that you will see your Roku TV listed in the list of devices.

Now open Google Play Store on your Android phone and download Kodi from there. After that, open it on your Android Phone and your Roku TV will show it on the TV.

How to get Kodi on Roku using your Windows PC or laptop?

What if you don’t have an Android phone? And you want to install Kodi on Roku, or I should rather say “Get” Kodi on Roku. Well, you can also use your Windows Laptop or PC to use Kodi on Roku. All you have to do is Enable Screen Mirroring on your Roku TV as I shown above and follow the instructions given below.

Open Kodi.tv on your Windows computer and press the Download option. A page will show up where you can select which device you want to download Kodi. Here you will need to select Windows and click on the “Installer (32BIT)” option.

The download will start and after the file is downloaded completely, Open the file and install it on your computer just like any other program. I will now show you how to install it because it is too simple. Just press the Next a couple of times and then press Finish.

If everything went as it should have been, Kodi would now be installed on your Windows PC. If Kodi opens automatically, close it for now and go to the next step.

Now you will need to open the start menu and search for “Devices” and open it. Depending on the version of Windows installed on your computer, the look of icon might differ from what I have shown below.

Next up, you will need to add a new wireless display to your computer. On Windows 10, it is effortless. Just press the “Add a device” button, and it will search for your Roku TV automatically. But if you have an older version of Windows, you will need to press “Add a Wireless Display” to scan for your Roku TV.

After you see your Computer screen on your Roku TV, Start Kodi on your Computer and you will be able to use it on your Roku TV.

Lastly, it should go without even saying that you have to have both your Roku TV and your Windows Computer on the same network for this to work. If you have them on different networks, connect them to the same network and repeat the process.

Install Kodi on Roku using iPhone

Although you can install Kodi on iPhone without jailbreak, Unfortunately, Roku does not currently allow screen mirroring on iPhone or any other iOS device. That being said, You can still use the official Roku app for iPhone to play your camera roll videos on Roku TV. Feel free to download the Roku app from the App Store and use the “Play on Roku” feature.

Get Kodi on Roku using your Mac

Kodi does support Mac OS and you can download Kodi for Mac using their official site but there is no official method of mirroring your Mac screen to Roku TV. Don’t worry, I have found a way to use Kodi on Roku but it is not free. Let me explain.

First of all, you will need to download Kodi for your Macbook or iMac and install it just like any program. Double click and install the dmg file and then drag and drop the KODI icon to the Applications folder. Download link for Kodi is given below.

Now enable Screen mirroring on your Roku TV from Settings > System > Screen Mirroring. You will also need to make sure that your Roku TV and your Mac computer is connected to the same network. If they are not, this will not work.

After that, you will need to download an app from the Mac App Store called “Mirror for Roku” This app is available in the App Store for $9.99 which is quite a steep price but believe me, it is well worth it. You can stream your Mac screen to your Roku and watch whatever you like using Kodi.

After you have installed Mirror for Roku app, you will need to Open it. Now you can open the additional menu added by the app to your Mac’s top bar and select your Roku TV from the list of devices. As soon as you will select the “Start Screen Mirroring” option, your Roku TV will start showing your MacBook’s display.

You will notice that there is quite a bit of lag between your Mac display and the mirrored screen and that is why it is not suitable for gaming but for Kodi, it is very much suitable. Just open Kodi on your Mac and Play whatever you wish to watch and then put the MacBook to the side. This lag will be very minimal if your Roku TV and the Mac computer are connected to the network using cable.

Better app than Kodi for Roku

Last but certainly not the least is the app that I promised to provide you at the very end of the tutorial. This app is very powerful and in my opinion, it is even better than Kodi. That is because you don’t have to hunt for add-ons and the links don’t stop working. I am talking about Terrarium TV app for Roku. I know that this app is only available for Android at the moment but you can still use the same Screen mirroring method as I shown above to watch any content on your Roku TV. You can download it using the link given below.

Conclusion:

To conclude I can say that even if you can not Install kodi on Roku, you can still get kodi to work on other devices and then watch it on your Roku TV. As I mentioned earlier in the article, Roku is a closed Source platform which makes it impossible to get kodi on it. Even then, if there are any updates in the development of kodi for Roku, I will keep you posted.

That is it for this tutorial, if you found this post helpful and got kodi working on your Roku TV then share it with your friend and followers. Also don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and feel free to comment below if you have any questions or concerns.